Month: March 2018

Last week, my family treated me to a lovely few days in London and Barcelona. In London we stayed at the Savoy hotel. I did not leave the hotel at all during that trip, because staying in a five-star hotel may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, especially given the fact that I am a philosophy major. During my day there I got an exfoliating facial, and then ate some cookies. For my standards, that was a perfect day.

Then, in Barcelona we stayed at the Mercer Hotel in the Gothic quarter. Gorgeous narrow streets, tapas restaurants, and cathedrals highlight this area. The hotel was a mix of new-concept architecture built into the ancient roman that remain in this area.

If I could recommend one place to visit in Europe for a vacation type trip, I would say go to Barcelona. Not only is it warm there (it was probably high-60s and sunny on my last day there), but the food is delicious, and the people are incredibly beautiful and friendly.

To cap off an extravagant trip, My dad and I went to a Barcelona game. To see Messi, arguably the best player ever, from maybe ten rows up at the halfway line was certainly a highlight of my life. I am not a Barcelona fan, especially after they beat my beloved Chelsea a few days prior, but to see Messi play was a treat, and I am happy to say that I was able to see him. He scored an amazing goal, too. It was like watching Michael Jordan or Roger Federer. Awe-inspiring greatness is not something you see everyday.

At Heathrow on my way to Barcelona I ran into retired Barcelona legend Carles Puyol, and he was nice enough to take a picture with me. Also, I ran into a guy I went to high school with on a street in Barcelona. It is a small world.

Now I am back in Oxford and feeling refreshed. I have about a month until Trinity term begins, so I still have a decent amount of time. I have been spending my time reading, watching Netflix, and exercising. I watched the entire second season of Stranger Things in a night a few days ago. I am also spending more time in the Radcliffe Camera, which is where I am now. It is nice to have time for pleasure reading again. I have already read a few books this break.

On Thursday I go to Dublin to visit my friends at Trinity. I look forward to the Guinness.

Henry

I am two-thirds of the way done with my studies at the University of Oxford. An overall successful term comes to a close, and I am excited to sleep, and perhaps travel, for the next six weeks.

In the news the other day, Sir Roger Bannister, a former Oxford academic and doctor, as well as the first man to run a sub-four-minute mile, passed away. He achieved this record at the Iffley track that is directly next to the tennis courts that I use. Even when you least suspect it, there is history wherever you go.

Speaking of history, it truly was a pleasure taking the Wars of the Roses tutorial at Oxford. If any of you ever have the opportunity to do so, no matter what you study, I could not recommend it more.

Oxford itself possesses influences from the Wars of the Roses. At Merton College, where I took my history class for the last five weeks, there is a Henry VII crest on the stone archway next to the entrance of our building. Our lecturer pointed this out to us on our first day. A king from the fifteenth century has his crest on a college that originated in the thirteenth century, and I am studying here in the twenty-first century.

Being at Oxford is awe-inspiring to say the least.

Henry